A Dixie State University chemistry professor working in an area he says is known as "the valley of death" for researchers says receiving a grant from a state agency will be a great help in keeping his research alive.

Dr. Rico Del Sesto's work involves finding a treatment for a sometimes deadly disease called MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

"You have a great idea, know it works but nobody will invest in it until they know it's safe," he said. "USTAR is a great place to find help."

Grants could be around $300,000

The Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative is a state agency that supports economic development in the state science and technology community. It awarded Utah Technology Acceleration Grants last month to Del Sesto and seven others in the state.

Del Sesto is the first grant recipient at DSU, the statement said.

The actual funding for the grant is still be negotiated, but USTAR said it may be in the $300,000 range.

“These projects are a testament to Utah’s innovative spirit,” said Ivy Estabrooke, USTAR executive director, in a statement announcing the awards. “We received strong applications and these awardees represent projects with high potential to make significant impact in real world application.”

The grant program provides university researchers with funding for advanced stages of applied research and development activities to address the market gap where both federal funding and private investment are sparse, according to the announcement.

What is MRSA?

MRSA, a bacteria, is responsible for many hard-to-treat infections. It's often referred to as a "super bug," because it cannot be killed with certain antibiotics, including common ones like penicillin and amoxicillin.

MRSA most often causes painful skin infections and can be mistaken for a spider bite, but it can also lead to infections of the urinary tract, blood, and lungs. Some of these infections can be life-threatening if a staph infection develops. Hospital patients are more likely to get severe MRSA or staph infections because of unsanitary procedures.

Del Sesto's work involves using ionic liquids, which can penetrate through the initial area as a topical treatment and combat so-called "biofilms" that protect the bacteria underneath from being eradicated with common antibiotics.

"The ionic liquids don't combat the spread of the infection but combat the infection. Much like a hand sanitizer, the product is viscous and stays on the skin and is absorbed into the wound breaking down the biofilm," he explained.

"We know it works in the lab, but we don't know exactly the effect on animals or humans yet," Del Sesto added.

Animal testing could take 18 months or more and human trials may last several years, he noted.

Funds will help buy supplies, pay interns

Del Sesto has been at Dixie State since 2012 after working the previous six years as a research scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. He said the USTAR grant will be a major help in continuing his research.

"The funds will be used for materials and supplies and pay students who help with the development," Del Sesto said.

If students come up with a new idea from their research, they may be rewarded later for any patents that may result from their efforts.

Del Sesto said he has had about a dozen students involved in the project in his prior years at Dixie State. This grant will allow the university to pay three or four students for summer internships, which they can then continue in the ensuing school year.

Potential help for people with diabetes, acne

While MRSA can lead to sometimes deadly staph infections, it also affects other areas such as diabetic ulcers and acne.

"Some one-third of diabetic ulcers contain MRSA," Del Sesto said. "Diabetics lose circulation in their extremities and if they get a wound, they don't feel it, and anything they take won't work because of the poor circulation. Most common treatments won't work then because the bacteria is already there."

“I guess I've become a bit of a germaphobe.”

Rico Del Sesto, MRSA researcher

He said another potential commercial application for the treatment could be combating persistent acne, which is important to teens for health and psychological reasons.

The disease can be spread through contact or incidental contact, such as falling from a doctor's neck tie.

"There's a study out there that said half of the neck ties worn by doctors have MRSA. That's because people don't wash their ties and the biofilm will eventually protect itself and can flake off while a doctor is in a procedure.

"I see people walking around all the time wearing (hospital) scrubs in public and cringe. I guess I've become a bit of a germaphobe," he said laughing.

On becoming a teacher

Born in Massachusetts, Del Sesto graduated from Colby College in Maine with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry. He earned his doctorate in organic chemistry at the University of Utah in 2002.

After five years at Utah, he decided he wanted to stay out West. His career has taken him to the Air Force Academy and three separate stints at Los Alamos.

"I've always wanted to teach but didn't want to go straight into that area after college and (be) pigeon holed. I was excited about the work we were doing at the Air Force Academy because we were applying things to help people. At Los Alamos, I found it focusing too much on the managerial side as opposed to science," he said.

He found an open teaching position at Dixie State in 2012 and was able to initiate the chemistry department and develop an undergraduate research culture on the campus.

"It turns out research can be a great teaching tool. My goal is to build that culture and have a high impact (on) students, because they retain facts easier if they're interested in the research, Del Sesto said.

He also sees the Utah Technology Acceleration Grant as a big help for the southern part of the state.

"This can help show people in other areas, like California, that the state is interested in tech areas and maybe people will look at the area in a different, positive way," he noted, adding the tech development programs on the former St. George airport site and the Desert Color project south of St. George will help as well.